My letter to the Boston Globe RE The failure of the Gaza pullout By Jeff Jacoby

Abir Aramin
In this photo taken on Jan. 2007, a memorial poster showing ten year old Palestinian Abir Aramin is seen on the door of the family home as relatives gather in the West Bank village of Anata, near Jerusalem. A Jerusalem court has said that the state is responsible for the death of Abir Aramin who was killed by a rubber bullet as she stood outside her home, her family's lawyers said Monday, Aug. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Kevin Frayer, File)

RE: The failure of the Gaza pullout By Jeff Jacoby Globe Columnist
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2010/08/18/the_failure_of_the_gaza_pullout/

Dear Editor,

Islamists, militancy and Hamas' takeover of Gaza have very much harmed the people of Palestine- but Jeff Jacoby is equally wrong to let Israel off the hook for the huge part it has been playing in cruelly oppressing, displacing and tormenting native non-Jewish people of the Holy Land.... Jacoby is also wrong to ignore the inspiring efforts of Palestinians in the West Bank who have been very busy with state- and institution-building programs.

"Not only the Palestinians but also the region and the world have an important stake in helping build a healthy, dynamic Palestinian society and state oriented toward peace and development, one that actively combats obscurantism and extremism." Hussein Ibish Palestinians persist with diplomacy but turn to education reform

Negotiations and diplomacy to once and for all end the Israel/Palestine conflict with a secular two state solution need to be respected and supported- for everyone's sake.

Sincerely,
Anne Selden Annab

NOTES

Growing Gardens for Palestine

The Palestinian State and Institution Building Program
Documents detailing the state and institution building program of the 13th Palestinian Government, including the overall plan and priority interventions for 2010.

"While not a principal actor, the United States has a vested interest in the outcome of educational reform in both Palestine and the wider Arab world. Under-development in the Arab World, which stems in part from inadequate education sectors, leads to ongoing volatility in that region and - until addressed - will continue to consume American diplomatic, financial and military assets. Failure of secular ideology to reclaim the public discourse will not only pave the way to a transfer of power to anti-American forces, but will also impede the effort to promote democracy, pluralism, equality, human rights and other universal values compatible with a culture of peace." Ziad J. Asali, M.D.: Fighting for a culture of enlightenment in Palestine and beyond

"The United Nations had certainly not intended that the Jewish State should rid itself of its Arab citizens" 5 May 1949 Application of Israel for admission to membership in the United Nations http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/85255e950050831085255e95004fa9c/1db943e43c280a26052565fa004d8174?OpenDocument

Refugees and the Right of Return

"Palestinian refugees must be given the option to exercise their right of return (as well as receive compensation for their losses arising from their dispossession and displacement) though refugees may prefer other options such as: (i) resettlement in third countries, (ii) resettlement in a newly independent Palestine (even though they originate from that part of Palestine which became Israel) or (iii) normalization of their legal status in the host country where they currently reside. What is important is that individual refugees decide for themselves which option they prefer – a decision must not be imposed upon them." http://www.plomission.us/index.php?page=core-issues-3

THE Arab Peace Initiative

Refugees, Borders & Jerusalem...

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."Eleanor Roosevelt

In 1948 United Nations (page 4 on the PDF file http://unispal.un.org/pdfs/AC1SR207.pdf ) Mediator Count Folke Bernadotte pointed out that "It would be an offence against the principles of justice if those innocent victims [Palestinian refugees] could not return to their homes while [Zionist] immigrants flowed into Palestine to take their place."

UN Resolution 194 from 1948 : The refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbours should be permitted to do so at the earliest practicable date, and that compensation should be paid for the property of those choosing not to return and for loss of or damage to property which, under principles of international law or in equity, should be made good by the Governments or authorities responsible

"The basic fabric of our lives is stories and narratives, some handed down from parents and grandparents, others developed from personal experiences. The way a person looks at life -- and others -- is the product of those stories. But sometimes the narrative can be altered in unexpected ways, as Rabinovich and Ashour can attest." Program joins Palestinians and Israelis as interns in the District

Gaza doctor writes book of hope despite death of three daughters (Guardian Book Review)

"I Shall Not Hate –

A Palestinian carries a key, symbolising the keys to houses left behind by the Palestinians in 1948, during a protest in Beirut June 27, 2010. Palestinian and Lebanese civil activists converged on central Beirut on Sunday, demanding more rights for Palestinians, many of whom live in squalid refugee camps in Lebanon. REUTERS/Khalil Hassan